Local Cheerleaders Win National Competition

The shock on their faces told the story. After only their second invitation in the school’s history to participate in the national competition, the Special Olympics Cheerleading team from Pitt Academy won the top honor as Grand Champions at the Cheersport Nationals held last month in Atlanta. Over 900 cheer teams competed, but only 22 Special Olympic teams received a bid.

“The girls have worked extremely hard putting in long hours of practice since October. This just confirms what I have always told them … you can do anything you set your mind to,” said Head Coach Michelle Rogers. After the first day of competition, Pitt Academy had a two-point lead over the defending champs, the Georgia All-Stars. The team performed again that Sunday. Their performance stunned everyone and wowed the judges to secure the win.

The group endured many setbacks before the competition, including the loss of three members due to injuries and other reasons, which really pulled the remaining members together. “These girls wanted it and it showed,” said Coach Whitney Spencer. “They never cease to amaze me. They are real winners both on and off the floor. They are great representatives of this city and the state of Kentucky. We are all very proud of them,” said Coach Rogers.

Pitt Academy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit school that provides an innovative learning environment in which children with a broad spectrum of learning and communication differences can reach their own academic, creative and social potential. Pitt Academy serves children Kindergarten through 12th grades with disabilities such as Autism, Down Syndrome, MMD, FMD, Developmentally Delayed, ADD/ADHD and Speech/Language disorder. Pitt Academy was founded in 1949 and is located at 6010 Preston Highway. For more information contact Karen Kirchdorfer at karen@pitt.com or visit www.pitt.com.